Pages

Cutest Blog

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Robert went to Utah this last week to his Uncle Widge’s funeral but I didn’t go because I wasn’t comfortable leaving John and Daniel with Mark when we would be so far away. Mostly because I was worried that if I left than Daniel would have tumor issue. Of course he didn’t but, you know, Murphy’s Law… if anything can go wrong it will. It wasn’t just that, Mark is a bit closer in age to John and Daniel and they are pretty big and strong. He does well with them but…I don’t know…I just didn’t feel right about going to Utah…to a hotel a few miles away, sure, but Utah is just so far away!
John is about to outgrow me. He has maybe and inch before he is taller than me. We are pretty much looking at each other eye to eye. Daniel isn’t a whole lot shorter either. If my memory serves, the older boys got their growth spurt around the age of 14. John is only half a year from that. I wonder how I am going to deal with him, puberty and his anger issues when he is taller and stronger than me.
John has been doing really well a school but church has been awful. Jana and I spent the previous Sunday’s (not including General Conference) fighting John during the last hour. Then yesterday he threw a fit at the beginning of Sacrament Meeting because I wouldn’t let him play his DS before the Sacrament. I had to drag him outside while he screamed. I had to use all of my weight to get him to move. Jana mentioned she thought he was getting stronger as well as taller. I think it might because he goes to PE for the warm ups. He leaves after about 10 minutes but that first stretch and warm up is going to kill us when he fights us.

John has been doing great after a run in with Suzette and the vegetables. He decided it was better to behave in the regular classrooms rather than eat vegetables.
Daniel is Daniel doing his Daniel things. He took the STARR a couple of weeks ago. After the Math test he said his hand hurt from filling in all the circles and that it was hard. He said the reading test was easy. Huh, Math is his good subject and reading his so much about language that instead of being on his 5th grade level his is reading at a 3rd grade level. I guess the test writers will be keeping their jobs for a while longer because obviously something is not quite right about the proper difficulty of the test.
Daniel story…Daniel knocked on our door a couple of days ago. His dad shouted, “What?” Daniel answered, “Um…Um” So his dad yelled, “Do you want something Daniel?” Daniel answered, “Um…Um” So his dad got up and answered the door. Daniel held out his belt. He wanted to put his belt in his dresser drawer. I keep his dresser in my room so I don't have to run upstairs to get the clothes or put them away after washing them. When he came in my room last night to put away his belt I asked him what it was and he said, “belt”. So he knows the name of it but couldn’t say he wanted to put it away.

Daniel has STAAR testing this week. That is state testing for school. He came home with a paper cape with stuff like “good luck”, and “you can do it” from the teachers and kids in his class. He said he wrote “good luck” on other people’s capes. Other than that, he and John have been playing on the computer and with their DSes (??? Plural DS?)
John has been pretty quiet except at church on Sunday but I think that is because I ran out of one of his medicines so it really wasn’t his fault. He had a fit during class because I wouldn’t give him his DS. Jana (his Sunday School teacher) and her son Andy took him out to the picnic area. They got pollen all over their rear ends from the benches. Spring has sprung around here. Andy doesn't work with his mother every week anymore but John is so big now that Jana and I couldn’t get him to move. We had to call in the troops.
A couple of weeks ago John entered the chapel and snuck up behind who he thought was Andy and said, “BOO!” (He is really into startling people.) But it wasn’t Andy; it was his brother who was visiting. They look a lot alike from the back. He turned around and looked at John and laughed. "I bet you thought I was Andy!" Then Andy came up behind John and startled him. We all had a good giggle.

Monday was the dentist for John and Daniel at noon so John didn’t go back to school. According to his teacher, he doesn’t have any classes after lunch so why bring him back? But then, I got a call on Tuesday that John was sick 5 minutes before some visitors were supposed to arrive. I tried to call them, but they didn’t pick up so I jumped in the car anyway. While I was walking into the school I got a call from my friends, so I told them to just wait; their choice, not mine. So, I got back with John and my friends and I had a nice visit while John played on the computer and upstairs. It is such a change from when he would run as fast as he could upstairs whenever we had company. He has really grown up.

It was a quiet spring break. John and Daniel had a great time playing together. They were really nice. Daniel seems to be doing better on the Adderall than he was previously. It seems easier to get and keep his attention. He is even kind of answering questions with something other than, “maybe” or “I’m not sure”. I asked him if he felt any better on it and he said, yes. Then I asked if he could listen to the teacher better and he said, yes. I thought for sure I would get a maybe or I’m not sure but it was a strait up yes.
I hardly even noticed John was home this week. He only yelled a couple of times which for a whole week is great! He is so funny when he is angry. He says things like, “I’m never going to come in your room again!” or “I’m never going to use this blanket again!” Ummmm, okaaay.

John had a really bad week at school. He shoved a kid and was trying to hit teachers and of course yelling and screaming. He ended up in JCAP (Junior High Children with Autism Program) with Ms. Suzette. They had a big fight over eating vegetables. She was enforcing her class rules to make JCAP a place he doesn’t want to be. In other words, so he will behave in his regular classes. She made him write sentences like, “I will not hit other kids.” Or something like that. I used to have to write sentences when the class misbehaved in 5th grade. I hated it, especially since it wasn’t me causing the problems but The teacher insisted the whole class write and it wasn’t short little sentences. It was long ones that took up a couple of lines on the page. That is probably why I know cursive so well. :D

Monday, February 24, 2014

I got a call from John’s teacher saying
he had a great week. He has been doing
his work and been asking to go to class on his own. His aide is letting him be by himself but
sticks around the back of the classJ. He read out loud in class and in one class
finished his work 15 minutes BEFORE anyone else. Unbelievable!
John is actually doing school work at school and in class! I wonder how
long it will last. He has had some bad weeks, but overall he has been doing
amazingly well this year.

Saturday was eventful.
I had thought we might watch the parade (so John and Daniel could see
what a parade was) but Daniel had a scouting outdoor activity put on by the
Order of the Arrow. He has a great time.
When talking about it to his dad, with some prompting, he told us he lit a
fire, used an ax, sharpened a knife, tied some knots and then tried to say
something else but didn’t know the word.
I had looked at his activity sheet and asked, “Citizenship?” he
nodded. That is the Citizenship that is
required for tenderfoot, 2nd and 1st class, not the merit
badges. He also did some first aid so it
was a busy morning. Unfortunately, I goofed up on where to pick him up, so he
had to wait a really long time until, after a phone call, figured it out. I knew it was at Katy High School and I was
waiting at the Natatorium, but I was supposed to walk past the carnival that
was set up for the rodeo and get him.
During that whole time, Daniel, according to the person who was with
him, was trying to visit the carnival. I
felt awful and decided we would go later that day. I didn’t have a pair of shoes on that I could
stand and walk around in very long without getting foot cramps. I called home and asked Mark if he
would bring John and a pair of shoes, but he said he was busy. So, I drove home
and rested then, Daniel woke me up at the time I said we would go.

After talking
John into it, John, Daniel and I went to the carnival. Mark was still too tired and their dad needed
to care of something on the computer. He
called just as I was about to get on the access road but I told him I would be
fine without him.

Wow! It think I learned how not to shake my phone camera! No blurry pictures!

We strolled through the rides. Daniel decided to go on the huge slide that you slide with the burlap sacks but the operator took a break just before his turn. John said he was afraid of heights and didn't want to go but the operator said he would be in a couple of minutes.. While we waited, John got cold, so I gave him my pink sweater. Not caring what other people think has its advantages, like being able to wear mom's sweater without being embarrassed.

We walked past another ride and then I talked Daniel into going through the Fun House. He was tentative walking and held on for dear life on the moving floors, but I think he enjoyed it.

At first, John didn’t want to go on anything,

but when Daniel got off the Fireball, he said, “I was very brave!”After Daniel went on the “Fireball” John wanted to go but because we were short on time I told him we needed to move on and maybe we could come back.

So they went on what I know as The Eggbeater. The operators were kind enough to allow me to help John and Daniel into the car. The boys weren't understanding what the operator was trying to tell them and with the motor planning issues could quite figure out how to get in.

John screamed his head off and looked absolutely terrified, but he was happy when he got off.

They tried to spin and after some instruction, figured out how to while they were sitting still, but once they got to flying, it got to hard. There weren't very many kids who could make it spin while flying in a circle.

Of course, afraid of heights John went on the Ferris wheel. They were both very patient waiting for their turns.
I don't know the name of the last ride. It made them kind of dizzy. They still enjoyed it but I think they were pretty much done with the carnival.

I asked Daniel what his favorite ride was.
It was the Fireball.

At the time
I didn’t know what it was because I didn’t look at the names of the rides. Daniel explained it to me.by spinning his hand and saying, "around and around".